PREMIER INN has opened its eighth hotel in Northern Ireland, creating 35 new jobs.
The UK's largest hotel brand has today launched a new 85-bedroom site in Bangor, taking the total number of rooms in the north beyond 800.
Located on Castle Park Avenue, the hotel is a £8 million investment by Conway Group in conjunction with Whitbread, Premier Inn’s parent company.
The hotel was constructed by Magherafelt-based PJ Conway Contractors, who redeveloped the site of the former Bangor Leisure Centre over a 17-month period.
The new Bangor hotel forms part of the latest phase of investment from Premier Inn in Northern Ireland and follows planning approval for a 51-bedroom extension of the Lisburn premises on Hillsborough Road last month.
The local investment is part of an overall expansion programme from Whitbread, who previously announced plans to increase bedroom numbers in Britain and Ireland from 76,000 to 110,000.
Outside of the UK, the hotel chain is also moving into the German market, with a development pipeline of more than 7,000 bedrooms.
Kevin Murray, head of acquisitions for Premier Inn for Ireland and northern England hailed the Bangor site as "another excellent hotel development" for the brand.
“The hotel is right where our customers will want us to be, with the transport connections and accessible parking they expect from Premier Inn, and features our latest specification bedrooms and family-friendly in-house restaurant," he said.
"It’s an excellent showcase for the quality of our hotels and we’re expecting it will be popular with leisure and business guests year-round.
“Our presence brings a different type of accommodation to Bangor and will bring long-term benefits for the town. The hotel has created permanent opportunities for the community, and I’m certain our guests will boost the local economy as they head out to enjoy the town and be entertained. It’s a development we are immensely proud of and we’re looking for similar opportunities across the country as Premier Inn continues to grow.”
Kevin McGurgan, construction director for Conway Group added:
"We have no doubt that the new Premier Inn hotel will help attract more visitors to the locality and meet the existing need for quality hotel accommodation, which is great news for Bangor and north Down. We look forward to building upon our longstanding working relationship with Premier Inn, as part of their planned expansion of new hotel accommodation throughout Ireland and the UK."
The opening of Bangor Premier Inn comes as plans progress for the long awaited development of Bangor quayside.
A public consultation is currently open for the £50m redevelopment of Queen's Parade, being brought forward by Bangor Marine - a joint partnership between Co Antrim-based Karl Group and Belfast building contractor, Farrans.
